It has been a year since we last saw MMA firestorm Leah Letson battle it out in the cage. This Saturday night she will be fighting her second professional fight with Pure FC in Milwaukee, WI as she faces Shaena Cox from Detroit, MI. We took a moment to ask Letson where she has been in the past year, and how she expects her upcoming fight to go.

“Since my last fight, I have been in the gym almost every day — some days multiple times. About a month after my last fight, I tore my ACL and MCL in my right knee. I had reconstructive surgery last February. The day after my surgery I was back in the gym and watching practices.

I still came to every single practice I could while I was injured, even though all I could do was watch. I did physical therapy 3 times a week, and did everything I could as soon as I got the doctor’s clearance.

My physical therapists and doctors were amazed at how fast I recovered. Just eight weeks after my surgery, I was on the mats doing light technique, swimming and lifting weights as much as I could. I gradually did more and more and was able to come back to full MMA training by July.

Being forced to take time off of training really taught me a lot about myself; I can overcome anything. It also forced me to watch techniques and visualize myself doing them. I think this made a huge difference in my skills coming back.

My striking, grappling and wrestling has improved drastically since last year. I am not the same fighter I was a year ago. Working with my strength and conditioning coach, Alex, since last May has also been a huge game changer for me. My strength, cardio and diet have never been better.

I’ve gotten countless compliments on how much better I look and how much stronger I’ve gotten since I began working with him. This weekend I expect to see the endless hours of hard work I’ve put in this past year pay off with an exciting first round finish!”

You can follow Letson on her Facebook fan page as well as on Twitter. Don’t miss anything that will come next for this great fighter!